Industry Season 4 Episode 2 Review: The Commander and the Grey Lady

On Industry Season 4 Episode 2, “The Commander and the Grey Lady,” Yasmin tries to bring Henry back from a disappointing setback as Harper tries to gain more insight into Whitney.

The honeymoon phase is over in the Muck household and the cracks are showing. In the wake of his political defeat, Henry falls into a deep, deep spiral with Yasmin flailing to keep both her husband and herself afloat.

It’s immediately clear that Yasmin struggles with her place in Henry’s world. She craves autonomy and control, but she neither holds meaningful positions of power nor is permitted to do anything for herself.

In her attempt to lock down stability, Yasmin may have sacrificed a sense of purpose. Even Molly, who is “beneath” Yasmin in social hierarchy, is more necessary. 

Yasmin cannot even pretend she’s happy; Harper immediately calls her out and even Molly makes a comment about how Yasmin doesn’t belong. Yasmin’s internal struggle seeps to the surface for all to see, be they stranger or close friend. For a character that needs to control narrative and image, this is detrimental.

Henry only exacerbates her loneliness and lack of function. Yasmin tries her best to pull strings but pulling only goes so far when the puppet is broken. Not only can she not make moves with Henry, but she’s also being deprived of affection and love.

Yasmin has had her struggles, but she’s never just rolled over and taken it. It’s almost jarring to see her in this sad state, begging for crumbs of affection and floating aimlessly through the Muck estate. She’s always been a character unafraid to claw her way out, but, for the first half of this episode, she’s bit sedated.

However, her aunt instructs her to “get off [her] knees” and awakens something in her. Yasmin and Henry’s confrontation heralds the return of the Yasmin we know and all trepidation melts away.

Marisa Abela explodes in the moment, playing with an intricate mix of desperation and catharsis. She’s tiptoed around this for so long, but now she has no other choice. Yasmin releases every pent up bit of frustration and futility and hurls it at Henry.

As a performer, Abela is unafraid to lean into the uglier sides of the character. The moments she taps into Yasmin’s rage are often some of the most memorable moments for the character, but this feels like a whole different level. We’re witnessing a flame remember just how bright she can burn.

Kit Harrington’s work as Henry uplifts Yasmin’s arc beautifully. He crafts Henry as pathetic but frighteningly erratic and you never know which way the pendulum will swing as he hurdles closer and closer to the sun. 

Henry also oscillates between an entitled child who did not get his way and an adult struggling to matter in larger scope of his family and the world. These two facets of his identity often clash in spectacular ways, preventing Henry from becoming a cumbersome character. The idea that he can fail miserably being who he is but doesn’t have anything else outside of his family name accelerates his spiral.

Henry may be at the end of his rope, but so are the people in his orbit. It’s clear from his interaction with his uncle Alexander that this is not a new struggle, but Henry won’t help himself (he refuses to go back on lithium because it made him fat) despite the wealth of resources at his disposal. 

Although Alexander does not have much to do this episode, his brief moments serve as interesting seeds for the rest of the season. How much is he willing to tolerate from his nephew? Will he protect Yasmin or will he allow her to go down with Henry?

The episode culminates in this hallucinogenic epiphany for Henry, an exciting deviation in form for the series. Industry often operates in a sleek, stylish, and frenetic mode. That style melts away in the episode’s climax with disorienting, imperfect glory. 

The swing is audacious in a way that only Industry can pull off. Although Henry’s epiphany comes quickly, it provides a fascinating insight into his erratic state. 

Yasmin and Henry reconcile in a very public display of intimacy, but it feels a bit too easy; however, there’s a silent anxiety bubbling beneath Yasmin’s relief. Henry’s ordeal rattled the gilded cage greatly, and Yasmin knows her stability is much shakier than she’d like. 

“The Commander and the Grey Lady” confirms this in a brilliant final moment when Henry proposes children. It’s an erratic pivot from where the couple was at the start of the episode. As she struggles to find her purpose, it makes perfect sense that Yasmin is trepidatious at the idea of motherhood.

Having children also adds an extra tether to Henry. After the whirlwind she experienced, does she want that for herself? The addition of a child would not only complicate their already frenetic dynamic but also complicate a possible getaway if need be.

Much like her counterpart Harper, Yasmin is always ready to pivot at a moment’s notice. She’s stabilized Henry for now, but it wouldn’t be out of the question for her to already be brainstorming paths out.

Stray Thoughts

• It feels like Yasmin and Haley had a moment there? It will be very intriguing to see where that goes.
• Harper does not seem to care about Yasmin’s rebuttal that she is also lonely, at least not outright.
• I need more Harper/Yasmin interactions.
• Alexander and Yasmin’s eye contact during her very public moment of intimacy with Henry was interesting to say the least. They are both working hard to prop Henry up, so, in a weird way, it felt like an acknowledgment that, for now, things are back on track.

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Industry airs Sunday at 9:00 PM ET on HBO.

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